The Objective/Subjective Dilemma with practicing Buteyko’s Method and a solution.

Removing obstructions to practice

Professor Buteyko said on numerous occasions that his method requires “willpower” and that without it, success is unlikely.

Whatever skill you are attempting to develop, usually requires methodical, consistent and patient mindful practice. This is not a difficult concept to understand. But when practicing Buteyko there are a few wrinkles, that make it a very different proposition than say practicing piano, darts, golf or archery.

The problem occurs as one’s objective based practice routine, brings about numerous reactions, emotions, and deep seated compulsions and aversions. Often these experiences exert a good deal of influence over one’s predisposition to practicing breath holds and quality VSB. Deep aversions and subtle sub conscious avoidance to practice can often be more difficult to overcome than the actual practice itself.

I cannot count how many times I have been told by students that they are lazy or slack and have not been disciplined enough around their practice. In most cases however and certainly by degree, it’s mostly not true. They are not lazy or slack. What is occurring is something more complex and from our perspective, deviously insidious.

Around 25 years ago I had a motor cycle accident, in which I ploughed into a rice field at probably 50 MPH and was knocked unconscious for a few hours. It took a few months to fully recover, but my pauses for whatever reason plummeted and did not spontaneously recover.

I had already taught several thousands of people the method and I knew very well what had to be done. I just had to get on with it. It wasn’t that I found pauses so difficult, it was that I kept on forgetting, or I’d eat at the wrong time, or fall asleep or just not be in the mood and or be prone to delaying and postponing my practice. I was stuck in some kind of a circular mental dilemma, as though half my brain was encouraging me to practice and the other half was persistently finding reasons not to. A few times I thought I had cracked the problem, but after a few days of solid practice, I was back to avoiding practice again. It was a frustrating and quite annoying situation.

Professor Buteyko prohibited self training and this is why he never promoted a step by step guide to learning his method, instead insisting that students come under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. In truth he did actually write a DIY Buteyko Manual, but I never saw it, probably because he withdrew it and said that whilst it was accurate, it failed badly in producing results, even for intelligent and serious minded people that attempted to follow its instructions. He basically condemned his own book and labeled it as useless. Why ?

The more experienced a practitioner is, the more experiences and nuances around the method will be realised. I remember managing a particular student over several months with many symptoms, including long periods of very dark depression. It was clear that we had made a lot of progress, particularly with reducing the requirement for powerful psychiatric medications, but over a few weeks I would receive the odd phone call in the very early hours of the morning in which I would be forced to listen to an incoherent, vicious five minute rant, in which I was the target of numerous insults. At first I thought, oh well that student has decided not to continue working with me. But a few hours later, they called again to apologise, claiming they didn’t know the reason for the outburst and we continued as if it didn’t happen. This occurred three or four times. I could relate dozens of temporary mental/emotional situations, which I have observed and arise during one’s practice and are best described as part and parcel of an organisms transition towards a calmer and more robust level of physical and mental health.

Students that have learnt the basics of VSB and MP’s have the tools to practice on the tactical level but lack the experience or insight around strategy. Sometimes, one should push hard, other times it is better to practice only moderately or even take a break.

Over-practice can lead to a rebound in which the organism revolts against abrupt change. Medications must also be taken into consideration and practice directed around their requirement. If you are overmedicating yourself it can be a barrier to higher pauses. Often practice routines need to change and the emphasis of practice altered to address changes with symptoms or the lack of progress. This is why Professor Buteyko insisted that students practice his method under supervision.

"Keeping in mind all the complications that can emerge during the training, we forbid self-training. Supervision by a specially trained practitioner is essential"

K.P. Buteyko

At the heart of a this particular self training dilemma and a most common problem is the Objective vs Subjective mindset. Certain ideas and emotional responses to physiological change can alter one’s objective goal of practicing from the arising of strong but often subconscious urges to avoid practice. It seems to be part of a phenomena known as “homeostasis” which occurs when the organism is resistant to even positive change.

I finally managed to solve my own practice problems by employing the services of one of my practitioner students to monitor my progress and remind me as required of the various practice tricks and tips to overcome the practice doldrums. Within a few weeks I was enjoying way better pauses.

If it is the case that you are not making satisfactory progress we recommend that you continue to attend our Free Beginner Workshops and Follow Ups to start with. If you think you might benefit from some one on one guidance, we are offering a service in which you will come under the supervision of a practitioner. The idea is that they will monitor your daily scores (via What’s App) and offer consultations on an as required basis, in which your practice and ongoing strategy is reviewed and recommendations offered.

Your objectives and or your individual situation would determine the number and frequency of consultations.

If you would like to have a free consultation with me to determine what would be optimal practitioner support for your circumstances, you are welcome to make a Free Zoom appointment here:

https://scheduler.zoom.us/christopher-drake/appointments

Warm regards,

Christopher